Improvement in sheep-racks



` "The invention consists in a peculiar ar- UNrrnD Sraris,I

Pnfrnrrr` Garter.,

ROBERT HALE, OF FITCHBURG, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT iN sHsePALR'ACKs.

gpccilication iornnng Vpart of Letters Patent No. db2 E6, dated January 12, 1864.

To aZZ whom it may concern,.-

Beit known that I, ROBERT HALE, of Fitchburg, in the"county of YVorcester and State of Massachusetts, nave invented a new and useful Improvement in SheepRacks; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, ret'- erence being had to the accompanying draw,- ings, making a part of this specification, in whith- Figure rl is -a side view of my invention; Fig. 2, a`transverse vertical section of the saine, taken in the line x x, Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the two figures.

This invention relates to an improvement in a. sheep-rack for which'. Letters Patent were granted to James P. Eaton, bearing date March 17,1863. i

rangement in what are termed the feeders,- whereby the saine, when adjusted to admit of the cribs or troughs being cleaned out or supplied with feed, will .prevent the sheep having access to the cribs or troughs, as hereinafter set forth.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my invention, I willproceed to describe it. A

VA A represent two cribs or'troughs which parallelwith each other, one at each side Vof the rack, and have an elevated walk, B, between them. These parts may be con stnucted in the saine way as described in the Letters Patent granted James P. Eaton, previousiy referred to.

'C represents uprights at the sides of t-he rack, two at each side, and tothese uprights the feeders D Dl are secured by pivots a. The'. feeders D are constructed of boards or, plank having battens b secured to them at one side, and the pivots a pass-through the .centers of these batteus, and are fitted loosely in the nprights C, so that they may turn freelytherein. The feeders D are of such a width that when vturned in one direction (inward) their lower edges will rest or bear in 'notchesin a cleat or crosspiece, E, at one end of the rack, andxbe held in an inclined position, as shown in tint in Fig. 2, the lower -edges of the feeders being a short distance above the elevated walk B, so as to admit of a space, b, to form a comin'unication between the two cribs or troughs'A A and the chamber or hopper F, formed by the two feeders D D When hay or other similar fodder -is to be fed to the sheep, it is placed in the ho'pper or chamber F, the sheep drawing it through the space!) as they consume it Grain, roots, &c., are placed directly into the cribs or troughs A A.

Vhen the cribs or troughs require to be cleaned, the feeders D are turned ina vertical. position, as shown in red in Fig. 2, their lower edges being in contact with the upper edges of the outer sides of the cribs or troughs. Vf hen the feeders are in this position, they eut off ali communicationto the rack, so that the sheep can have no access to it, and theoperator can cleanse the cribs or troughs without lany difficulty whatever, and

, can also place grain. roots, or ground feed in the cribs or troughs without being troubled with the sheep, which would otherwise rush to the racleand the. strongest be enabled to obtain more than their share.

rlhe feeders D D may, by being adjust-ed in a horizontal position, form a table, as' shown by the red dotted lines in Fig. 2, the feeders being retained in this position by any proper fastening. This table will be convenient for shearing and other purposes.

The advantages of my improvement consist, first, in economy'in manufacturing the same, no butts or hinges being required as in the original patented device, and no mortises or tenons; second, the keeping of the sheep from the rack while the latter is being cleaned or supplied with feed, and the easy conversion of the device into a table when the latter is'required. l

` Having thus described my invention, 'what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The employment or use in a sheep-rack of pivoted feeders, arranged in such a manner as to form a hopper when the rack is in use, and admit of being adjusted so as to prevent the animals having access to the rack while the latter is being cleaned or while it is being supplied with feed, substantially as herein set forth. i l

` ROBERT HALE.

Witnesses:

Taos. S. J. DOUGLAS, D. RonERTsoN. 

